The Fast Train to Nowhere
by AngelBaby214
Summary: CS AU. Emma Swan, seventeen years old, runs away from the foster system. Away from home, her friends, and hopefully her life. Until she meets Killian Jones, nearly late for his departure, on the Greyhound bus and takes the seat next to her. Two perfect strangers aching for home might just find one in each other. T for mentions of explicit material and language.
1. Prologue

The Fast Train to Nowhere

She wasn't running, really. Okay, maybe she was. Emma Swan, seventeen and all alone, was running away from her life. The morning of her birthday, she bought a one-way ticket out of Boston on a Greyhound to California with stops in major cities along the way. Seventeen meant growing up, and her foster father called it "womanhood" then, so you can probably guess what happened then. She felt so dirty like she needed to shower again after already doing so before she left. Emma was not a little girl anymore, so she took initiative and started her life anew, away from the hell she had been living. She cried through the entire walk to the bus station, disgusted and raw inside, but gathered her strength and mustered her courage to buy that ticket. Her friends in school told her since her freshman year that she deserved to get the hell out of Boston after the cards she had been dealt there. No one was justified to feel like Emma did, sickened by the thought of living.

People in Boston were awful to her ever since she moved there at ten years old. Kids in elementary school teased her about being an orphan and not having a real family, adults turned the other cheek when Emma tried to ask questions or hold conversation, and, worst of all, her "family" was not the most stable. Besides the fact that her father was an alcoholic and her mother was formerly a stripper, you could say that Emma didn't grow up in a respectful household. Her two brothers, Caleb and Zach, actually treated her with a bit more respect than everyone else did and felt that their sister was a princess and should be respected as such. Caleb was older by four years. He was the one to give Emma her first kiss at her eighth grade graduation and taught her what to do with boyfriends, how to kiss and flirt and all. Zach was five years Emma's junior and might be called "the typical annoying little brother." Despite the fact that he aggravated Emma with stories of the epic game of Red Rover on the playground or his Yu-ghi-O trading card games with his friends, Emma still loved having his light heart in the family.

Caleb hadn't left when Emma did because he gave her the final push to do it in the end.

"Emma, it makes me sick to see you like this. You cannot put up with his shit anymore, okay? These people here, they have to be dead to you. You cannot care what they think of you." Emma was crying on her bed after . . . the incident and cradled her head in her hands. Perfect timing, someone knocked on the door.

"Guys? Emma, are you okay?" Zach opened the door halfway and poked his head in to see Caleb comforting Emma on her bed. Caleb shooed him away.

"Zach, Emma and I are talking. Please don't bother us right now. Go watch TV or something. We're fine, okay?" Zach nodded when he noticed Caleb's terse speech and knew he needed to leave. He shut the door quietly and left Emma and Caleb alone.

"But I can't leave, Caleb. If I do, someone will come after me. _He'll_ come after me. And then I'll have hell to pay, I'm sure." Caleb squeezed her hand to stop her from talking and tilted her chin up to him.

"If that son of a bitch thinks he can get away with a crime like that, he's dead wrong. I'm gonna tell somebody eventually because justice has to be served. I know you don't want to, but it's for your own good. I have something for you." Caleb reached in his back pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Emma. She opened it carefully and saw a large stack of bills and some papers with her identification, Social Security Number, birth certificate, vaccination records, and other various records.

"Caleb, what is all of this?"

"I got hold of your records down at the Social Security office when I went and got my papers for my Air Force application. I asked for a copy of yours too, and I told them you needed it for college, so they let me get them without you. And the money isn't stolen, it's mine. It was supposed to be for me for college, but since I'm not doing that anymore, I decided I should pass it on to you. You'll need it more than I will. So, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go down to the Greyhound station and buy yourself a one-way out of here. I don't care where, but anywhere has to be better than here. The rest of that money is all for you to do what you want. Write to me if you can, email me, whatever. Just let me know that you're safe somewhere." Emma stared blankly at Caleb's package and was dumbfounded that someone actually was helping her escape.

"You . . . you really did all of this for me?" Emma blinked salty tears from her eyes and clutched the envelope with shaky hands. Caleb nodded and kissed Emma's forehead.

"Of course I did. You're my sister, and I love you. Now, go out the fire escape, and don't look back, not even to me. You'll see me or I'll see you sometime, so you won't get rid of me that easily." Emma laughed.

"Why would I want to?"

"It really sucks having to let you go, but you're a swan, Emma. Truly. You're no longer that ugly duckling you thought you were. Now it's time to spread your wings and fly far, far away from here. Now go." With a final embrace, Caleb pushed Emma towards the fire escape and followed her down and set her free.

Two cups of coffee and a cream cheese bagel later, Emma finally boarded the bus. She didn't bother taking much with her, but she did take her clothes and jewelry and a few pictures, mostly of Caleb. She took a window seat in the middle of the bus, conspicuous enough in case someone noticed her. The bus driver announced their departure and nearly took off before a young man rapped on the door hoping to board the bus before it was too late. The bus driver's good will saved him and he tried to find a seat as the bus stirred in to motion. Emma set her bag on the seat next to her to find her iPod out of her bag but was stopped in her search when a throat cleared above her.

"Is this seat taken?" It was the guy who was late. Nervously, Emma pulled her bag off of the seat and set it in her lap. The guy wasn't creepy or anything (handsome to say the least, actually), but she wasn't big on having a bus buddy.

"Umm . . . no, that's okay. You can sit here if you want." The man slid in next to her and set his carry-on on his lap as well. The two sat in silence as Emma searched for her iPod again and found it buried under her clothes finally. Before she put in her earphones, the man tapped her on the shoulder.

"By the way, I'm Killian. Killian Jones." He offered his hand to her, and she shook it tentatively.

"Emma. Emma Swan."


	2. New York City

The Fast Train to Nowhere

**Date: October 7, 2013**

**Location: New York City**

The hum of the bus over the asphalt was actually kind of relaxing. A peaceful silence lay between Emma and Killian, just casual bus buddies and all that. Emma closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat, absorbing herself in her thoughts and her music. She tried not to think too much about having left Boston, mainly since fear of being caught gripped her throat like a cold vice. But this was her only chance at starting over and making a new life for herself. The oddity of truly being on her own now made her stomach sink; it wasn't like she could call any relatives to help her out since she never knew them. Emma grimaced at the thought and turned to stare out of the window, the world and life she once knew rushing past her in a blur.

"So, 30 Seconds to Mars, huh?" Killian's question interjected Emma's thoughts, and she faced him quickly to try and make conversation.

"Umm, yeah, how did you know?"

"Your iPod. I just saw it when the screen lit up. Just curious, though." Killian almost went back to reading his book in his lap before Emma stopped him.

"Wait." She placed her hand on his shoulder, and an invisible electricity radiated from his skin. Something about him sparked her interest, though she had no clue as to what it was. "What's your favorite song by them?" Killian's lips pursed as he turned towards Emma again. _Wow, he has really luscious lips . . . Wait, what? Damn it, Emma._

"I'd say 'Hurricane,' but I like 'The Kill' too." Emma smiled.

"Oh my God, no way! Me too! I'm listening to 'Hurricane' right now . . . Do you wanna listen too?" Killian shrugged but accepted Emma's offer. She handed him the right ear bud while she took the left, both enjoying the music, and how funny was it that both of them had the same favorite songs! Killian tapped his foot with the beat and softly hummed along with Jared Leto as the pair listened to the lyrics.

_"Crash, crash, burn. Let it all burn. This hurricane's chasing us all underground."_

"Wow, you have a really good voice." Killian handed Emma the ear bud and grinned timidly, shrugging a little before sinking into his chair.

"Well, thanks. I just graduated as a music student from the Boston Conservatory, top of my class." Emma's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"_You_ went to Boston Conservatory?" Killian nodded, and Emma could only stare back at him blankly, jaw half-open. "I could only _dream_ of going there! Man, that would be great."

"What would you go for?"

"Well, I love acting, but I play a little bit of piano too, so I don't know. Acting, I guess. I do have a recording of me playing on my iPod that I've sent in for a few college auditions. Do you wanna hear it?" Killian nodded and Emma scrolled through her song list to find the recording of her playing Chopin's Nocturne in B-flat minor. It was her favorite piece because the Swans always used to have that song playing on her mobile above her crib and lulled her to sleep every night since. Killian inserted the ear bud again and smiled as he heard the first strains of the song.

He lost himself in the music. He could see a field of dreams that was slowly wilting. Were these his dreams . . . or maybe they were Emma's? Ah, yes, they were, for there Emma stood in the center of the field slowly turning around, staring at the lopsided flowers and browning grass. She was crying. Her tears pooled around her and created a large puddle that ruined the grass beneath her feet. Emma clutched her stomach as she fell to the ground, almost drowning in her tears. Killian tried to run to her, but some invisible force knocked him backwards and wouldn't let him through. The music built to a peak, and Killian's vision spiraled out, and he lost the vision. Slowly, Emma's playing faded out. Emma tapped Killian's arm to try and get his attention.

"Killian? Are you okay?" He came back to Earth and gave Emma back her ear bud. "What's wrong?" Killian wasn't speaking, just staring at Emma with a completely dazed expression.

"That . . . that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Emma, you're so beautiful." He caught what he said and tried to correct himself. "Your song, I mean. I mean, that's not what—you're beautiful too, very beautiful, I just—" Emma grabbed his arm and interjected his blundering.

"Hey, I know what you meant. I'm glad you liked it."

For a while, the two made small talk about anything, really. Both of them were sick of the weather up north and hoped to move somewhere where the sun was shining and a day without rain or snow was in the forecast. Emma stopped the conversations when personal things started to surface, and she abruptly changed the subject.

Killian knew she was interesting, but talking to her really solidified that assumption. Emma was dynamic, free-spirited, smart, attractive (_very_ attractive), and a beautiful girl. He could talk to her for hours and wouldn't mind staring at her beautiful face either. Not to mention that they had a lot in common. Emma enchanted him, touched his heart in a special way, despite that he didn't really know her story. All that aside, he was bound to find out . . . just not at the current moment.

Emma fell asleep a while ago, but he didn't imagine that she would end up asleep on his shoulder. Of course, her state of unconsciousness made her unaware that she was laying on Killian. Interestingly enough, Killian was not at all disturbed by Emma's choice of sleeping position. He actually really liked it. Her hair fanned out like a halo and the bouncy curls tickled his neck when she moved. Her eyes were gently closed in slumber, and she relaxed into Killian's touch as he rubbed her arm up and down soothingly.

To say whether she was dreaming or not was hard until she woke with a fright and nearly snapped Killian's neck backwards when she bolted up. He had always been a light sleeper, but he actually started to drift off before Emma woke up. A tear bloomed at the corner of her eye and she hugged her knees into her chest protectively like her security blanket.

"Emma, you scared me, are you alright?" She couldn't look at Killian, too scared to do much of anything.

"Fine," she whispered almost inaudibly and stared out the window, petrified of the images that haunted her nightmares.

The sound of his slap was what pulled her from the dream. Emma was not ready to feel that pain again, so she jolted away from it as fast as she could. He scared her nearly to death, that scraggly beard and fierce but cold black eyes filled her vision as he threatened her death once again if she ever came home late again. Emma was only twelve when it happened, and he actually did hit her. Hard enough that the bruises didn't yellow for over two weeks. Worst of all, he made Caleb watch but couldn't do anything.

No matter what Caleb would try to say to appease his dad, nothing would stop him from the pain he inflicted on Emma. At the time, Emma was too young to press charges against him, as was Caleb, but as soon as they came of age, both of them would walk hand in hand to the police station and lock this man away for his crimes. That was the one thing they promised to do before either of them would leave.

The rain pounded furiously against the roof of the bus. Emma tried to read the signs to get any sort of indication where they were. GPS didn't exactly work because of the lack of service in God-knows-where country, so it looked like it was back to the basics with the enormous folding maps. It appeared that the bus was taking Interstate 95 down to . . .

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next stop will be in New York City in approximately one hour. We will pull out of the bus station at 9:00 AM sharp tomorrow morning. Right now, it is 4:30 PM, which means if you want to enjoy a night on the town, be my guest, but please have your tickets with you and all of your valuables as you exit the bus. We'll be there soon."

Emma's eyes lit up at the mention of one of the most star-struck cities in America.

"New York City, huh? What do you say, a night on the town? Maybe breakfast at Tiffany's tomorrow?" Killian nudged Emma with his elbow and she giggled girlishly.

"Okay, okay! I've never been to NYC before, so I guess you'll have to show me the ropes then?"

"It would be my honor to escort you, my lady." Killian took her hand gently in his and kissed it while Emma gave him a flirty smile.

"Well, looks like someone's a real Prince Charming." He winked at her and dug around in his messenger bag for his spare money and a set of clothes to change in to for the ride tomorrow. Emma searched for the same things as well and also her travel-sized cosmetics to hopefully freshen up in the bathroom before leaving. Everything was all in order, and she hoped that her first night in New York City would be as incredible as she had seen in the movies.

The bus came to a halt as the brakes screeched and pulled in to the station. The driver ushered out all of the passengers and locked up the bus for the night. Emma's face glowed with elation as New York City surrounded her, lights and Times Square and all.

"That's not even the best part. Come on, I'll show you." Killian offered Emma his hand, and she accepted it graciously and followed behind him with a smile that stretched beyond the stars.

After an unspeakably difficult flight, or should I say, flights of stairs, Killian and Emma stood at the top of the Empire State Building. They could see everything from up here, and the view was absolutely enchanting, the stars above her so close she could almost taste them.

"Should we really be up here?" Of course, the updraft forced the two of them to have to yell everything at each other in order to maybe be heard.

"Well, no one's stopped us, did they? And I promise, this is totally legal!" Emma laughed and held on to the railing for dear life.

"Wow, it's like I'm flying up here! This is so cool, thanks Killian!" There was that smile. The one that completely put a spell on him when he first met her. He had missed that for a while and wondered if and when he would ever see it again. Lucky for him, now was that time.

The sun had set on the city, and the stars had come out to play, shining brightly above the busy streets of New York City. The hustle and bustle of people rushed along in a blur, everyone always on their toes to get somewhere. Emma and Killian decided to take the subway to a subdivision just outside the downtown area where NYC was a little more peaceful. The pair ate at a small café called La Luna. At night, the veranda outside was a perfect spot to watch the moon and stars dance and twinkle in the night sky, and Emma and Killian both agreed to watch the show outside after their meal.

Up in the sky, the moon was full and luminous and gave off an almost iridescent gleam, and the stars smiled down on the city as the constellations appeared. Emma and Killian lay on their backs in the grassy area outside of the café staring up at the spectacle above them.

"You see that one next to that really bright star? That's Orion's belt." Emma pointed to another one slightly left of the moon.

"Well, how about that one? It's pretty."

"That one is Cygnus, otherwise known as the Swan. How ironic that you love that one." Emma turned to face Killian and scooted closer to him, their bodies practically touching.

"Thank you for this, Killian. I don't know how I can make it up to you." He laughed under his breath and turned on his side to look Emma in the eyes. Blue eyes and green eyes stared in to each other's souls, and they both realized how lovely the other was.

"Then don't. This is all I need." Killian interlaced his fingers with Emma's as they watched the stars a little longer. By the time they were both tiring out, it was nearly 11:00, and life in the city was slowly dwindling down for the night. Emma and Killian took a stroll along the streets of New York hand in hand. This was just like Caleb had promised . . . Caleb.

Emma started worrying about Caleb. He was supposed to be deployed to Afghanistan in a little less than a month, but he may have been shipped out earlier. Who knows, she had no contact with him since she left. She still couldn't believe that she actually left the place that she called home for as long as she could remember. Not that Emma missed it, but the sensation felt foreign to her, leaving by her own free will.

"Killian, can I ask you a question?" The couple stopped on the sidewalk under an awning next to a few shops with their lights off, the nearest street light only lit for their convenience.

"Sure, what's up?"

"What's home like? I mean, not your home, but just in general. How do you know what's really home?" Killian's eyebrows raised at her question, and he bit his lip as he tried to formulate a response to that question.

"Well, you see, that's different for everyone, but my home . . . well, home is where the heart is, they say. It's where you find yourself and who you were meant to be. Home is like your favorite food or your mother's cooking or something you can never let go. You always miss home and long for it when you're away from it. It's something that makes you smile and dance and laugh and sing. It's just . . . home." Emma giggled, and Killian cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, that probably made absolutely no sense—"

"No, of course it did! I'm just shocked that for a man of few words, you're very poetic." Killian gave a mock bow to Emma, and she returned the favor with a curtsey.

"Why, thank you, love. I try." After sharing a laugh or two, Emma and Killian eased in to a comfortable silence holding each other's hands.

"You know, home doesn't seem so out of reach now, actually."

"I would hope that it wouldn't." Something cold and wet plopped on Emma's head, then another on her arm, and another on her nose. Rain. She looked up to the sky and saw the rain clouds moving in overhead and laughed as the showers fell in harder and soaked both her and Killian.

"I love the rain so much!" Puddles began to form on the sidewalks and in the streets, and Emma splashed in them with her boots on and laughed giddily. "Come on, try it! It's fun!" Killian tentatively kicked a small puddle, the water splashing back on to the sidewalk. Emma moved out into the street and danced around in the cool rain, savoring the splashes on her face. Killian stood watching her in awe, entranced by her spirit and how she moved with a childlike beauty and grace. Her long blonde hair held droplets of rain on the ends of her hair, and Killian snuck up behind her as she twirled in the storm and lifted her up by the waist and spun her around in a circle. She laughed like a kid and her smile lit up the dark streets around her.

Killian put her down but held on to her waist. Something electric sparked between them, their chemistry igniting flames in each other, and neither one could control the pull. Killian threaded his fingers through her curls and stared lovingly into her eyes as Emma looked up into his and smiled brighter than the sun, her green eyes full of life and youth. Killian silently asked for permission to kiss her as he leaned in to her face, but Emma took him by surprise and kissed him first. They moved slowly at first, their lips savoring the tastes of each other's sweetness and raindrops like sweet honey. With increasing passion, their lips danced against each other.

Fiercer they moved and kissed, and they soon found themselves in a hotel room with one bed to share. Thankfully, they made themselves comfortable enough around each other so that nothing was awkward, but their passions, once risen, could not be put down. Nothing truly intimate happened, just languid kisses and a few touches that lit them both on fire. Emma was truly an untamable fire, her spirit and her passion prime examples of that, and Killian was the moth to her flame. Emma found out that Killian could work some serious magic with his lips like she had thought all along. The man was pure sex, let's face it.

However, Emma and Killian realized that this was just beginning something truly enchanting, something that neither one of them could deny. If music be the fruit of love, the rain served as their music that night as their bodies danced with each other and clung together desperately in the night.

Amen for NYC.


End file.
